Trump’s news conference swerves from Harris to debunked claims

Former President Donald Trump held a news conference at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, a week ago. The event was meant to focus on rising grocery prices since Vice President Kamala Harris took office. Trump’s campaign set up tables with groceries and signs showing price increases.

“What you’re starting to see is the panic of, ‘We’re in these 80-something days, I don’t have enough time to learn a new trick,’” Michael Starr Hopkins (@theonlyhonest) tells @jsscppr. https://t.co/kH7igtyYvN

— Michael Kruse (@michaelkruse) August 18, 2024

TRUMP: “I said who am I running against?… Who the hell is Harris?” 🤣

pic.twitter.com/6VM8C8HZpJ

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 17, 2024

However, Trump quickly shifted topics, talking about various issues like MS-13 gang members, Elon Musk, communism, artificial intelligence, and more. He did eventually return to the topic of groceries, noting, “I haven’t seen Cheerios in a long time. I’m going to take them back with me.” The news conference turned into a rally-like event.

"Trump falsely described tariffs as a tax on those countries; in reality, tariffs are paid by domestic consumers."

Actually, part of the burden of tariffs can fall on producers as well as consumers.https://t.co/DTOWsJGog0

— William Courtney (@courtneywmh) August 18, 2024

 

Former Trump Supporter: This is my message to Republicans and independents.. It's never too late to change your mind. You don't need to agree with everything you hear tonight to do what is right. We need to be able our trust our leaders, that's why I'm all-in for Kamala Harris. pic.twitter.com/VJ9cR894j1

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 19, 2024

Edward X. Young, a Trump supporter who has attended 82 rallies, said, “He’ll call it a press conference, but it’s always a rally.” Trump used the opportunity to challenge the media, entertain his supporters, and enjoy their applause. In a recent interview, Trump defended his personal attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris—just like she justified her attacks and comments against Trump.

Trump defends attacks against Harris

When asked if personal insults were necessary to win the election, he said, “I hope they’re not. But if I don’t think somebody’s good at something, I’ve always spoken my mind. I don’t think she’s very good at this. I think she would destroy our country.” Trump criticized Harris’s intelligence: “I don’t think she’s a very bright person.” But Harris criticized Trump in many ways, too — so maybe all things are fair in love and …politics. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham advised Trump to focus on Harris’s policy positions rather than personal attacks. “I don’t look at Vice President Harris as a lunatic; I look at her as the most liberal person to ever be nominated for president in the history of the United States,” said Graham. During the news conference, Trump made over 20 false claims, many of which have been debunked for years. He falsely claimed that Harris was responsible for a California policy allowing theft under $950, which is actually a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail — but this law has been reported in the news. Trump also inaccurately claimed that the Supreme Court ruled he was immune from all charges against him when, in fact, the court stated that a president enjoys immunity for “official acts” but not for unofficial acts. Other false claims made by Trump included statements about U.S. energy production, inflation, a civil fraud case, border security, the 2020 election, immigration, Iran and Hamas, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, military equipment left in Afghanistan, and tariffs on China. These false claims demonstrate the former president’s tendency to make inconsistent and often misleading public statements. However, the news has also made these claims, and Trump may only be repeating what he has read and everyone else is saying.